chapter 13 Aren't you brothers and sisters?

Nora's fall hurt a lot, and she felt deeply unjust. She instinctively rubbed her small hand, her eyes tinged with red. She sniffled and climbed up from the ground. Then, she retrieved a small notebook from her desk and started writing diligently, stroke by stroke. The other kids didn't find it unusual. This mute girl couldn't speak, so she communicated with them through her notebook. However, since she rarely had anyone to interact with, the notebook came out infrequently. Before long, Nora finished writing and turned the notebook around to show it to Lily. "Apology." Seeing the words, Lily coldly snorted and stood with her hands on her hips, demanding, "You want me to apologize? Nora Li, you've got some nerve. Are you asking for trouble?" As she spoke, she strutted toward Nora with the intention of pushing her again. Nora hadn't expected Lily to be so aggressive, and she couldn't react in time. She stood there stunned. Hale and Harlan had been keeping an eye on the situation all along. Lily's sudden push had gone unnoticed until Nora fell. Now they saw this girl about to use force again, and they couldn't bear it any longer. "That's enough! How can you bully someone like this?" Hale said with a stern expression, standing in front of Nora and glaring at Lily. Seeing him suddenly blocking Nora, Lily was taken aback. Hale continued, "Didn't your mom teach you? When you do something wrong, you should apologize. You pushed her, so you should apologize to her!" Though he was young, Hale's serious demeanor exuded a natural authority. Lily became flustered and looked around, hoping that some of the other kids would speak up for her. After a while, seeing no one stepping in, she could only defend herself hesitantly, "I, I..." Lily struggled to find the right words, and it seemed like she couldn't force out the rest of her sentence. Seeing her face turning red, Harlan walked over with a sense of helplessness. "Hey there, you can't just hit people. That's not okay! Kids shouldn't fight. So, you should apologize to the mute girl." Compared to Hale, Harlan's tone was gentler, but it still carried a hint of sternness. Lily glanced at him and her eyes slowly welled up with tears, as if she was about to cry any moment. Seeing this, Harlan blinked and spoke softly, "Don't cry. Crying won't make you look pretty. Being a bad kid will make you look ugly too! Bad kids hit people. If you don't want to be a bad kid, just apologize to the mute girl. Once she forgives you, you'll be a good kid again!" Upon hearing this, Lily sniffled forcefully, pushing back her tears. She didn't want to be an ugly girl! But bad kids could also turn ugly... Lily wrestled with her feelings for a moment and, with a sniffling voice, apologized to Nora, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you. Can you forgive me?" Nora looked at her for a while and nodded. "That's it!" Harlan grinned. "We're all classmates; we should be friendly with each other!" Seeing Nora willing to forgive her, Lily reluctantly nodded. Everyone joined in, echoing Harlan's words. However, Hale turned to Nora and asked, "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt earlier, right?" Nora quietly hid her injured hand behind her back and shook her head. Harlan, who had quietly moved closer, was a bit skeptical. "I saw you bump into something earlier. How could you be fine? Let me take a look!" Without waiting for Nora to react, he grabbed her hand. Nora flinched and tried to pull her hand back. However, her fair skin made the small red mark on the back of her hand stand out. Seeing the red mark, Hale asked again, "Are you really not in pain?" Nora nodded earnestly, looking quite serious, but there was still a hint of redness in her eyes. Seeing this, Hale and Harlan simultaneously furrowed their brows. They couldn't believe that Nora wasn't feeling any pain with that much redness. Her hand even looked a bit swollen, and it might bruise later! "We'll take you to find the teacher and have the nurse check it," Hale decided, not giving Nora a say in the matter. Nora wanted to pull her hand back, but Harlan grabbed it firmly and led her behind Hale. They walked to the teacher's office together. Upon seeing the mark on Nora's hand, the teacher inquired about what had happened and promptly took them to the school's infirmary. Nora's injury wasn't severe, but the school nurse didn't want to take any chances. She applied some ointment and massaged the area for a while. After finishing the treatment, she complimented the two newcomers who had been waiting patiently, "Are these two little ones new here? I haven't seen them before. They're really cute, and they'll probably be quite mischievous in the future! Also... they look quite similar to this little girl, are they siblings?" Hale and Harlan exchanged a glance, then turned their gaze to Nora. The two of them weren't surprised. After all, Nora shared the same father with them. Being half-siblings and looking alike wasn't unusual. Others had remarked before that they didn't resemble their mom. Nora also stared at the two little boys, wondering if they really looked alike. Once the school nurse finished treating Nora's wound, the teacher led the three kids away from the infirmary. Upon reaching the classroom, Nora followed Hale and Harlan closely, like a little shadow. When they arrived at their seats, the three of them sat down in order. Hale and Harlan thought their job was done, but to their surprise, during any break or recess, Nora would follow them wherever they went. They couldn't seem to shake off this little shadow! Furthermore, during class, Nora would often sneak glances at them. After a few times, Hale couldn't help but furrow his brows and meet her gaze. "Why are you following us?" His tone wasn't harsh, but it lacked much emotion and even seemed a bit distant. Nora was startled by his question, her gaze briefly avoiding his before returning after a few seconds. Hale continued to furrow his brows, puzzled by her behavior. He did have a soft spot for this little girl. She was pretty and looked like she needed someone to care for her. If he and Harlan were in different circumstances, they would have treated her like a little princess. But Nora was their father's daughter! If they were nice to her, they would be betraying their mom! Hale wanted to distance Nora from them, but then he noticed her starting to write in her notebook. "I want to be friends with you." Soon after, Nora lifted the notepad, covering the lower half of her face, leaving only her bright, sparkling eyes visible.